The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) managing director and the World Bank’s president have refused to meet the delegation being led by Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh in Washington. IMF’s senior deputy managing director Mr David Lipton however is scheduled to meet the Pakistani delegation today.

Meanwhile, during meetings with IMF’s lower level management, the organisation has agreed to provide technical assistance in areas of debt management, fiscal discipline and tax enhancements. Also, a schedule has also been agreed upon between the two entities under Article 4, to examine Pakistan’s economic progress. In this regard, a senior member of the delegation told Express that though Pakistan no longer needs to abide by the Standby Arrangement Programme (SBA) since the programme and its conditions no longer exist, but even then they have told the IMF that they will still follow its conditions. The member said that though IMF’s managing director Christine Logarde and the World Bank’s president Robert Vilke had refused to meet the Pakistani delegation, but nonetheless ‘highly successful’ meetings were held with other management officials from both organisations.

Sources said another meeting will be held today with IMF’s senior deputy managing director. They added that finance minister has met World Bank and IMF officials on the sidelines, while requesting them for technical assistance in three specific areas. Officials of the Pakistan embassy in Washington were unavailable for comments.

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Reader Comments (33)

When PM Gilani could not fix a meet with Obama he cancelled his US trip. In the refusal to meet was a clear message. That the Pakistani delegation is unable to make headway in talks with the WB and IMF is a corollary to the earlier message. Once the country is selective about what help it takes and what help it refuses one assumes that policy makers know the fruit of brinkmanship is a long, winding and lonely road. If challenging a Super Power can bring great rewards why crib ?

I believe this is happen because of current US PAK relations, i don’t know why IMF or World Bank clearly giving message to the world that they will do what America want them to do so, as pakistani i still feel proud and i reckon that we should start exploring our natural resources and stop begging IMF etc…

have pakistanis ever thought that they are their biggest enemies.
trade with India could have helped them some years earlier. but now, i dont think that even that could rescue them.
pak’s entire domestic production is in grip of chinese dragon with cheap imports. china systematically cripple ur industry and that will be the reward of great friendship with dragon.

Pretty much on expected lines. The repercussions have begun. Pakistan is entering a tunnel. Soon there will be the expected darkness and solitude. The risks are like how long is the tunnel, is there an opening at all at the other end and if yes where does it open to ? Pakistan seem to show it has figured out everything in its plan but i doubt if it has fully factored in all the probabilities. I personally feel Pakistan is entering a showdown that will make it the battlefield where big powers will decide the future world order. Benefits will be almost nil and the biggest casualty will be the state Pakistan itself.

Yes, it’s good for people of Pakistan & bad for the Govt (Bheek mangay). This always happen when you put all your hopes on others except ALLAH. Our society is hugely involved in corruption from top to bottom. The need of the hour is to look into ourselves rather then looking others for help.

C’mon now, your foreign exchange coffers are overflowing according to earlier reports. Didn’t your leaders declare that Pakistan doesn’t need IMF money? What is the problem? WB and IMF just want to spend their time on productive things such as meeting with those who need help.

Pakistan’s leadership should tell President Obama “We are not going to take this double standard any more” and if he doesn’t change, the US is going to loose and all important ally.Recommend

Beggars cannot be choosers. This is about time that we should realise that we are a free nation. America and its controlled organisations & monetary institutions can never be Pakistan’ friends. we should try to live on our own resources and say bye to anti Pakistan forces. Inshallah Pakistan is going to stay on the map of the world for eternity.

I can;t imagine that Obama refused to meet Gillani but was ready to meet Pakistani Foreign Minister …. now either Media is a big lair (which I believe is and promotes all baseless news) …. or either Obama had no Idea that Hina Rabbani Khar was Pakistani Foreign Minister ……

Time to put our (lack of) money where our (big) mouth is. Pakistan has lost all credibility in the world. The government has lied time and time again and refuses to face the truth – that we are a country overrun by Islamic, Sunni, Wahabi fundamentalists and terrorists who don’t want any peace for any minorities, that we are a highly corrupt society where the Armed Forces sap the lifeblood out of the country, and we can’t even live peacefully as Pakistanis – we split into Pashtuns, Hazaras, Baloch, Punjabi, Sindhi, Kashmiri, etc.

@Hmmm:
“I can;t imagine that Obama refused to meet Gillani but was ready to meet Pakistani Foreign Minister”
Well Obama DID NOT meet HRK. IT is Hillary Clinton who met her. Please get your facts right.